Monday Night Preview

by Nick "The BookieKiller" Parsons

Anyone who loves football surely enjoyed last Monday's tilt between the Cowboys and Eagles, especially those of us who had Philly. Dallas held on for the 41-37 win but the Eagles "brought home the bacon."  Remember this stat when the Cowboys play on Monday Night next; Dallas now falls to 0-4 ATS the last four seasons when playing in Monday Night action.

But enough about last week, it's time to look ahead to this weeks game between the New York Jets and San Diego Chargers (-9).

Everyone who played the Chargers last week is going to still be stewing over that botched call in the final seconds as San Diego now sits at 0-2 to start the season (the Bolts lost in Week 1 with no time left on the clock to the Carolina Panthers). However, those two spectacular losses in the final seconds of those games may have overshadowed the fact that San Diego has given up 65 points and is ranked 30th in the NFL in total defense thus far.

That being said, in its game vs. Denver, they allowed just 157 yards and eight points in the second half after giving up 329 yards and 31 points in the first two quarters. In the opener against Carolina, the Panthers racked up 281 yards in the opening half and just 107 in the second.

During their 11-5 campaign a year ago, the Chargers were able to pressure the opposing QB and force turnovers. However in the first two games this season, they have just two takeaways and two sacks.

So are the Bolts due, and can they cover the big spread against Broadway Favre and the New York Jets?

After the Jets failed to defeat the Tom Brady-less Patriots in their home opener, you could already start to hear the grumblings from the J-E-T-S faithful. But, NY is still 1-1 and has only allowed 15 points per contest over their first two games. It's hard to judge exactly what the Jets will do this season, and which Brett Favre is going to show up, but with LT playing through a toe injury, the Jets are confident about their chances this week.

Here are some important ATS trends to keep in mind:

The Chargers are a perfect 2-0 ATS the last three seasons when they play on Monday Night, and are 8-1 ATS as a home favorite of 7.5 to 10 points. But they are a horrible 1-3 ATS the last three years against AFC East Division opponents.

New York is 1-0 ATS the last three seasons in MNF action, and a great 5-1 ATS off a loss against a Division rival. However, the Jets are a mediocre 8-8 ATS as an underdog of 3.5 to 10 points.

And here are a couple of important questions that you should ponder before making your wager:

We know the Chargers can put points on the board, but will their defense show up?

Is Tomlinson going to be effective in this game?

Will New York have the same success that its displayed over its first two games on the defensive side of the ball, and will its offense step up like it did in its opener vs. the Dolphins, or stumble like it did last week vs. the Pats?

Nick "The BookieKiller" Parsons has another massive week in store. Don't miss out on any of his 100% guaranteed winners!